It definitely lives up to the expectation engendered (haha) by the blurb.
There are obvious parallels with e.g. The Handmaid's Tale, but the chili angle is amazing, and somehow enhances the extreme Finnishness of the whole thing.
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Tak! reviewed The core of the sun by Johanna Sinisalo
Set in an alternative historical present, in a "eusistocracy"--An extreme welfare state -- that holds …
The Core of the Sun
5 stars
Tak! commented on The core of the sun by Johanna Sinisalo
Set in an alternative historical present, in a "eusistocracy"--An extreme welfare state -- that holds …
July's #SFFBookClub selection
Tak! reviewed The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison
The Angel of the Crows
3 stars
An eccentric genius and an army doctor recently returned from the Afghanistan war solve crimes from their Baker Street apartment in Victorian London: supernatural edition.
Well-written, with lots of nods to the original source, yet plenty of original twists.
Tak! commented on The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison
How authors flex:
"I'd like to thank my readers, (list of noted fantasy authors)…"
Tak! reviewed Machinehood by S. B. Divya
Welga Ramirez, executive bodyguard and ex-special forces, is about to retire early when her client …
Machinehood
4 stars
Some thought provocation on free will, consciousness, transhumanity/posthumanity, (general) artificial intelligence, and nonviolence vs. passive violence via inaction
Tak! reviewed Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Ogres are bigger than you. Ogres are stronger than you. Ogres rule the world.
It’s …
Ogres
4 stars
An all-too plausible take on the future of economic disparity. The last few pages really made this one for me.
Tak! wants to read The core of the sun by Johanna Sinisalo
Set in an alternative historical present, in a "eusistocracy"--An extreme welfare state -- that holds …
This comment sold me:
The Core of the Sun further cements Johanna Sinisalo’s reputation as a master of literary speculative fiction and of her country’s unique take on it, dubbed “Finnish weird.”
Noor by Nnedi Okorafor
From Africanfuturist luminary Okorafor comes a new science fiction novel of intense action and thoughtful rumination on biotechnology, destiny, and …
Tak! wants to read The Widow Queen by Elżbieta Cherezińska (The Bold, #1)
The bold one, they call her—too bold for most.
To her father, the great …
Tak! reviewed The Actual Star by Monica Byrne
The Actual Star takes readers on a journey over two millennia and six continents —telling …
The Actual Star
4 stars
This one gave me Cloud Atlas vibes.
It's set across three timelines: ancient Maya, contemporary, and 1000 years in the future - I enjoyed the future segments and worldbuilding the most.
I feel like one needs to have a solid grounding in latine culture to get the most out of this.
Tak! rated Eyes of the Void: 5 stars
Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky (The Final Architecture, #2)
The Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time brings us the second novel in an extraordinary space opera …
Tak! commented on Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky (The Final Architecture, #2)
The Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time brings us the second novel …
If they make a film version of this, I demand that DJ Smalls plays Idris
Tak! commented on Noor by Nnedi Okorafor
From Africanfuturist luminary Okorafor comes a new science fiction novel of intense action and thoughtful …
Tak! reviewed The Healers' Road by S. E. Robertson (The Balance Academy, #1)
Agna had looked forward to her overseas assignment for the last four years. It was …
The Healers' Road
4 stars
The Healers' Road isn't my usual type of book (although you might think differently if you witnessed the T. Kingfisher bibliography pour through my timeline), but I enjoyed it very much.
It's very much a book about interpersonal relationships, decorated in a vaguely fantastic setting, and the author wonderfully illustrated concepts like how uncommunicated assumptions can poison your interactions with someone, or how hiding things we're afraid of or embarrassed by often lead to us suffering more.
I'm looking forward to the second part, although I think I'll need to cleanse my palate with something faster-paced first.